Old Down Estate

Old Down Estate is a stunning location situated in the South West countryside and set in 66 acres of beautiful grounds. They requested an updated website as their current site did not capture how they were positioning themselves. Nor was it very easy to use.

As I worked with the various members of staff at Old Down, it became quite clear that this was not a single product. They needed three distinct areas of their business promoted: Weddings, Events, and the Country Park.

These had to be part of the Old Down Estate umbrella, yet somehow be separate. After discussions with their design team, we collaborated on the logos, branding colours, and typography. I used these as a starting point for the websites.

What I came up with was a main ‘olddownestate.co.uk’ site, linked with ‘olddownweddings.co.uk’, ‘olddownevents.co.uk’, and ‘olddowncountrypark.co.uk’. The sites would have a unified menu and an identical structure differentiated only by content and subtle colour changes. This setup grants specific SEO to each domain and enhances the profile of each site with interlinked content.

The build

When it came to the full build, I wanted to make it as easy to update and use as possible. I knew that having four separate sites could introduce complexity. For instance, events uploaded to the wrong sub-site, or phone numbers changed on one site and not the other.

I decided that a WordPress multisite setup would be the best option. This allowed better communication between site content and sped up development as only one master theme needed to be created. It also meant subsite-specific CSS handled colour adjustments.

I was able to create a custom unified menu. This meant when the main site (Estate) adjusts it’s menu, all sub-sites reflect the changes. Using categories, I integrated a system that syndicates blog/events from the main site to the correct sub-site. This allows the main site to contain a master of all blogs/events, with each sub-site only showing it’s own. I also built a multisite AJAX search utility that screened out duplication (blogs/events appearing on both the master and the sub-site).

Since leaving my contract with the parent company, their in-house team took over but sadly were unable to complete my full vision as intended.

About

About me

and what i do.

WEB DEVELOPER IN BRISTOL

Hi! My name is Piers Elliott and I’m a web developer in Bristol who also works with branding and graphic design. Skyfox Design is the company I created in 2002 as the professional face of my work.

Design has always been a life-long passion for me. From a young age, I enjoyed painting, photography and sculpture. This led me to attain Kings School Winchester’s highest individual accolade for Art. I followed this by studying Graphic Design and Fine Art at college, exhibiting and selling my A-Level work at a prestigious London Gallery. I went on to complete my Degree in Graphic Design and Animation at the University of the West of England in Bristol.

Since 2002 I have worked with a variety of clients as a web designer, graphic designer and a brand consultant. From small start-ups and bars to large charities and festivals. Now, as a graphic designer and web developer in Bristol, I help businesses all over the country achieve their goals. All businesses (big or small) should have memorable, unique concepts that will make them stand out from the crowd. That’s why I do what I do. Vivid identities, user-friendly interfaces, clear communication and a focus on the details.

Plus you’ll get totally awesome support afterwards if you need it!

YOUR NEXT BIG IDEA? LET’S MAKE IT STAND OUT.

BRANDING

So you’re starting a new company, or maybe you’re just giving the old one a bit of a freshen up. I’m here to make sure your company goals and ethos are present and at the centre of your company’s voice. Logo design, business cards, stationary are just the start- a great brand is consistent and pervasive through all areas of communication, even the footers on your emails!

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Have you got an idea you want to get down on paper and you just don’t know how to visualise it? Let’s work together on fleshing it out, looking at your target audience and focusing in on the key information you want to get across. Be it for print, the web or even in motion on the screen, I can help bring your concept to life.

WEB DESIGN

A website is a curious thing. It’s like a store front, only it’s interactive. It’s an advert, yet also a destination. It’s the first port of call people will visit to find out about you, and it’s there 24/7 so it has to make a great impression. I will make sure your site fits your brand, looks great on all devices, is super easy to use and most importantly is easy for you to keep fresh!

What technologies am i proficient in?

HTML 5

CSS 3

JQUERY

PHP

AFTER EFFECTS

ILLUSTRATOR

INDESIGN

PHOTOSHOP

WORDPRESS

MAILCHIMP

Blog

A blog

about

my ideas.

Welcome

This is my first post, and really the only point of this is to say hello! The main thing I'm going to try to do with my blog is document the development of my game 'ChessMash'. Hopefully I'll be able to make it interesting for you to follow. If you guys...

Contact

Contact me

and say

hello.

Bristol

More Info

Please feel free to contact me using the form above, or the number below, to discuss anything from the simplest commission to your business goals and how I can help reflect these in your design, branding & web strategies.

Location: Bristol, UK

Phone: +44 7453 322166

WORK